Defence.

The following table gives the established strength of the European and Native army in British India-exclusive of volunteers, Imperial Service Troops, and native artificers and followers :

The whole of the native infantry, have been provided with 303 magazine rifles (Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield), and the native cavalry have been provided with 303 magazine rifles, their carbines having been withdrawn. The British army is entirely equipped with magazine Lee-Enfield rifles.

The Act of Parliament (56 and 57 Vict., cap. 62), passed in 1893 for the abolition of the Indian Presidency commands, came into force on April 1, 1895. On that date the military control hitherto exercised by the governors in council of Madras and Bombay ceased. The army in India now consists of the Punjab, Bengal, Madras and Bombay Commands, and the Burma District, each under a lieutenant-general, who is under the direct command of the commander-in-chief in India, and under the control of the Government of India.

Since 1856, when the Indian army consisted of 40,000 European soldiers and 215,000 natives, the numbers have changed to approximately 74,000 European and 153,000 native soldiers; and the concentration or mobilisation of troops

has been greatly facilitated within the empire or on its frontier. A regular transport service now exists, and a method has been organised for the supply of animal carriage, hospital servants, and other field establishments sufficient to place a large army promptly in the field.

The health of the Indian troops has been so improved by better barracks, by quartering a larger proportion of the European soldiers at hill stations, and by attention to sanitary conditions that the death-rate, which before the Mutiny was 69 per cent. for Europeans, and 2 for natives, has been reduced to 1:46 and 1.11 per cent. respectively. The number of volunteers in India on April 1, 1904, was as follows:

According to the estimates for 1904-05 the distribution by commands of the whole British and native armies in India (excluding volunteers and Imperial Service Troops, and the veteran and invalid establishment) is as follows:

1 The totals include a few officers and men of the invalid and veteran establishment, not included in the other columns.

Returns received in 1902 showed that the various feudatory and dependent States of India had armies numbering 139,182 men, and 4,576 guns. A large proportion of these forces were little better than a badly-equipped, undisciplined rabble; but in 1888, after the native chiefs had loyally offered large sums of money towards the cost of imperial defence, the Indian Government elaborated a scheme for the training and equipment of picked contingents of troops in certain States, with a view to enabling the Chiefs to bear a direct share in the defence of the Empire. Measures have been taken which will enable the Chiefs to furnish contingents of

troops fit to take their place in line with the regiments of the Indian army. The special contingents, known as Imperial Service Troops, now number about 16,200 men. Twenty British Officers, including an Inspector General, have been appointed. The following table shows for July 1, 1904, the States and contingents with which they have to deal :

:

The number of cavalry horses corresponds closely with the number of men. The five transport corps have altogether 910 camels, 3,029 ponies, and 1,270 carts.

Three torpedo boats are kept in reserve at Bombay.

Production and Industry.

The chief industry of India has always been agriculture, but it was not until about the year 1870 that the Indian Government directed systematic attention to fostering and improving Indian agriculture. Since that time there has been established in every province of India a public department, which collects and distributes early information concerning the crops, controls or advises upon model and experimental farms, introduces new agricultural appliances, tries new staples, and is organizing schools for teaching the chemistry and science of agriculture. By these departments Indian students of good education have been sent to Europe to study at agricultural colleges. It is chiefly in respect of the use of manures, of rotation of crops, of fodder raising and storing, of new staples, and of such appliances as improved sugar-mills, that the example or teaching of the agricultural departments and their agents is likely to have useful effect. Something has also been done towards introducing better breeds of cattle into some pro

vinces, and great attention has been paid to the improvement of the local breeds of horses, ponies, and mules.

In provinces where the zamindári tenure prevails (i.e. where single proprietors or proprietary brotherhoods possess large estates of several hundreds or thousands of acres), the State revenue is assessed at an aliquot part (usually about one half) of the ascertained or assumed rental. The revenue is payable on each estate as a whole; the assessment remaining unchanged for the period of settlement. In provinces where the ráyatwári tenure prevails (i.e. where each petty proprietor holds directly from the State, as a rule cultivates his own land, and has no landlord between himself and the Government), the revenue is separately assessed on each petty holding, and land revenue becomes payable at once (or after a short term of grace in the case of uncleared lands) on all extensions of cultivation. The ráyatwárí proprietor may throw up his holding, or any portion of it, at the beginning of any year after reasonable notice, whereas the zamíndár or large proprietor engages to pay the revenue assessed upon him throughout the term of the settlement.

The following table shows, so far as returns are available, the class of tenure in each province during 1902-03 :—

Acres

North-West Frontier

33,947,559

30,062,174

4,914,339

3,200,685

Bombay

86,887,889

43,724,509

7,214,400

4,999,347

1,412,210

6,360,738 23,737,814

Central Provinces

74,174,539 50,389,531 11,000,590

4,456,971

15,104,988

2,944,111

16,882,871

Berar

11,332,580 11,356,181 2,417,262

816,196

217,150

666,905

7,238,668

Madras

96,882,351

64,651,543

12,570,896

13,499,986

6,125,452

5,561,471

26,893,738

Coorg

1,012,260

1,012,260

410,715

301,467

22,863

121,480

155,735

Total

737,682,432 552,498,778

67,562,445 134,379,294 108,099,459 37,252,452 205,205,128